Holiday baking

I love holiday baking! The fudge, candies, cookies, everything! It's so much fun! This year I'm making the usual fudges, peanut brittle, peanut butter crunchies, as well as Holiday Cheesecake Squares. The kids and I are going to bake Candy Cane Cookies to go with their candy cane unit study.


As you can see, the kitchen is well stocked and ready!



Today I made dark chocolate walnut fudge, double decker fudge, and peanut brittle. Tomorrow I plan on making more fudge, cookies with the kids, and maybe one or two other things.

Dark Chocolate Walnut Fudge

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
dash salt
1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts
1-1/2 tsps vanilla extract

In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Spread evenly into wax-paper lined 8 or 9 inch square pan. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board. Peel off paper and cut into squares. Store loosely covered at room temperature. Makes 2 pounds.


Double Decker Fudge

1 cup peanut butter chips
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine peanut butter chips and 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, heat until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla. Spread evenly into foil-lined 8 inch square pan. Combine remaining sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips. Heat until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Add remaining 1/2 tsp vanilla. Spread evenly on peanut butter layer. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Turn onto cutting board, peel off foil and cut into squares. Store covered in refrigerator. Makes 1-1/2 pounds.

I never have luck using wax paper or foil with my fudge so I just spray my pan lightly with Pam non-stick spray. I also store all my fudge in the refrigerator. Next up: Rocky Road Fudge....

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Grinchmas!

Today we started our Christmas "break", which really consists of some educational things pertaining to Christmas. This week we're reading "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas", learning about Christmas, St. Nick, caves (like the one the Grinch lived in), and making a lapbook to put it all together in. All three kids enjoyed the story, making their own Grinch mask, and having some hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Pecan Pie Bars

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°. For crust, beat butter in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add powered sugar; beat until well blended. Add flour gradually, beating at low speed after each addition. (Mixture will be crumbly but presses together easily.)

Press dough evenly into ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Press mixture slightly up sides of pan (less than 1/4 inch) to form lip to hold filling.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, for filling, beat eggs lightly in medium bowl with fork. Add pecans, granulated sugar, corn syrup, melted butter and vanilla; mix well. Pour filling over partially baked crust. Return to oven; bake 35 to 40 minutes or until filling is set.

Loosen edges with knife. Cool completely on wire rack before cutting into squares. Cover and refrigerate until 10 to 15 minutes before serving time.

Makes about 48 bars.

Wordless Wednesday

Mandarin Orange Chicken (frozen meal)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 cups cooked)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups sliced, fresh mushrooms (I omit)
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup water
1 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion bulbs (I used regular onions)
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 11-ounce can mandarin orange sections, drained*
1 cup regular, uncooked rice*

Cut chicken into 1-inch chunks. Heat oil in large skillet; add chicken, and cook on medium high until browned on both sides. Remove and set aside chicken. In the same skillet, cook mushrooms over medium high, stirring constantly. Sprinkle flour over mushrooms, stirring quickly to combine. Gradually stir in water, orange juice concentrate, onions and bouillon cubes. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add chicken, and let simmer 3 to 4 minutes. Cool and freeze.

To Serve, thaw chicken mixture, and cook rice according to package directions. heat chicken mixture in a saucepan until bubbly, stir in drained orange segments and heat through. Combine with cooked rice and serve.

*does not get frozen

**I make quite a few recipes with cooked chicken all at one time. So to save myself time and trouble, I boil all my chicken, cut into pieces and then modify the recipe. I've done this with this recipe and it turns out great.

Wordless Wednesday

Creative writing, turkeys, and more

Instead of copy work today, Jacob wrote a story about Joshua's hamster, Hammie. He wrote two pages and illustrated them both. I'm always very proud of the creative writing that he does. He has a great imagination and it really comes out in his writing. He also usually enjoys creative writing much more than just copying something.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Leanna made a pine cone turkey! Great practice for her fine motor skills and a craft project always makes her happy.

We also got quite a bit of other things accomplished today. Quid agis? Jacob knows that means how are you? in Latin. Today I think he would answer with Sum bene, which means I am good. We also read about Abraham, Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; Miles Standish and the Pilgrims and Indians; and both boys practiced their new math concepts. Joshua is doing well with phonics and today he worked on writing a lowercase g. He confuses it with e which makes his work very difficult to read. We did an experiment with water to show how some things float and some sink.

We're on the way out the door to MOSI for even more science! Our days are jam-packed with learning, even if it's not a formal school setting.

Copywork

Copywork is not a favorite at our house. But how else do you better your penmanship? And it's an area that I always seem to have my expectations too high and forget to loosen up. Jacob writes in both print and cursive, but seems to prefer cursive. Of course, he'd rather not write at all. I need to look into typing software for him so he can pursue that.

Soocer Champs

Jacob and Leanna just finished up a great soccer season. It was lots of fun and they both did wonderful.

Wind and more wind!

In science we've been studying about air, air pressure, wind, and all the other things that go along with the atmosphere. We've learned how air effects everything around it, how powerful it can be, and most important, who controls the wind.

Luke 8:22-25 (King James Version)

²²Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go

over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.

²³But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.

²⁴And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.

²⁵And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the

winds and water, and they obey him.

To be able to see the effects of the wind, we conducted an experiment with an origami boat. We placed the boat in a dish of water and blew "wind" to make the boat move. Light wind caused the boat to move back and forth slowly, but hard wind made our little boat capsize. The kids loved doing the experiment and had lots of fun blowing the boat back and forth.

My Easy Vegetable Soup

So usually when I make veggie soup, I just get out a stock pot, or the crockpot, and start to throw a bunch of things in. Here's what I did tonight.

In the stock pot since I only had about 1-1/2 hrs to cook it.

1 tbls. minced garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
2 cans red kidney beans
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
Italian Seasoning, sea salt, pepper and parsley
Water to cover
approx. 1-1/2 cups macaroni noodles

I simmered it, covered, for about an hour and 20 minutes. Then I added the noodles and cooked it another 8 minutes or so. It wasn't too soupy, I could have added more water. But Jacob said it was the best and asked if I could make it every week.

Oh, and the best part? It probably cost me about $.50/serving or less to make this.

not much happening here

Unfortunately, I don't have much to blog about because we haven't been getting much done! I have been very sick with pregnancy related issues and school has taken somewhat of a back burner. I'd like to think that it's a month or so of an unschooling phase because even without formal teaching, my kids never stop learning.

Our garden is growing well which is exciting for all of us. The pea plants have pods, the zuchinni are blooming, and the beans are coming along slowly. I'm looking forward to our first "fruits".

Leanna is enjoying her weekly ballet class and just had her first performance. I wasn't sure she was going to make it since mommy was working and daddy wasn't too excited about taking all 3 kids to a Halloween festival by himself. But he was a trooper and after much begging on their part, agreed to it. She did wonderful and the pictures are just priceless! She's really quite a natural.

PE is going very well for Jacob. Last week they swam and he passed the swim test. He had to swim the full length of the pool, which looked Olympic sized??, and then tread water for 30 seconds. I was so proud!

it's October!

Well, it's October! We took a field trip to Busch Gardens in celebration of my birthday. The kids enjoyed seeing the animals and they rode a few of the rides.

The last few weeks have been rather slow for our schooling. I was sick, then the kids were sick, then surprise! I'm pregnant! Yes, two weeks ago we found out that we're expecting baby #4. So now I'm dealing with all the wonderful first trimester morning sickness and exhaustion. We're taking it a day at a time and just trying to get done what we can. Today we focused on math and phonics/grammar. Not a whole lot, but we did get some accomplished. Tomorrow we'll work on science and history. As long as we manage to get something done every day, I don't feel bad. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll start feeling better and we can get back to our normal schedule.

Baked Eggs

6 bread slices, cut in cubes
2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese
1 cup cooked, cubed ham
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
6 eggs
3 cups milk

Mix bread, cheese, ham, bell pepper and onion; spread in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish greased with nonstick spray. Whisk eggs and milk, and pour over top. Cover dish with foil and freeze.

To prepare for serving, thaw dish,and bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 375*. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Chicken Spaghetti

1 12-oz package of spaghetti
1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3 cups cooked)
1 28-oz can Italian-style or plain crushed tomatoes in puree
1 2-oz jar pimentos (I left these out)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I left these out)
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
1 3-oz can sliced ripe olives (I left these out)
1 packet dry spaghetti- sauce seasoning (I used Italian seasoning instead)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (does not get frozen)

Cook spaghetti until al dente; drain. At the same time, cut chicken into 1-inch cubes; cook chicken in a small amount of water until no longer pink in the center. (I didn't so this, I boiled all my chicken for my recipes. So I just cubed it and started at the next step.) In a large pot, combine chicken with remaining ingredients except cheese. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cooked spaghetti to sauce. Cool and freeze. I used a 13x9x2 foil pan to freeze it in.

To prepare for service, thaw spaghetti. Bake spaghetti at 325* for 40 minutes. Top spaghetti with cheese; return spaghetti to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Makes 10 servings.

Once a month freezer cooking

This weekend will be my first "at home" day of cooking and putting together freezer meals. I've done it before at a "dinner creation" type place, but never totally on my own. We needed groceries, I'm stuck at home with the "swine flu" kids, and it seems like a great time to start. I'm excited about the day of cooking and about not having to worry about making dinner for a month!

My list of recipes:

Chicken Divine
Teriyaki Chicken
Manicotti
Chicken Tetrazzini
Lemon Chicken
Hearty Hamburger Tomato Stew
Chicken Cacciatore
Mandarin Orange Chicken
Chicken Spaghetti
Chicken Enchiladas
Cannelloni with Cheese Sauce
Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Ham

Yes, we eat quite a bit of chicken. I only have 14 recipes, but I think that will be enough considering I don't cook 7 nights a week and I have some easy things I can make that aren't make ahead.

Sunday is going to be my big cooking day, again since I'm not able to go to church I thought I would do something useful. So hopefully by Sunday night I'll have a freezer full of yummy meals!

Crockpot Baked Penne

This is literally one of my easiest recipes. I admit I found the idea on the A Year of Slow Cooking blog, but I changed it a bit. She calls it ziti, but I use penne noodles. It is simple and the whole family loves it!

Spray crockpot with non-stick spray. Rinse penne noodles and lay enough in the bottom of the crockpot to kind of cover it, about 20-25 noodles?? Cover with spaghetti sauce, then mozzarella cheese. Repeat with noodles, sauce and cheese until ingredients are gone. I use 2 jars of sauce to make enough for the family and some leftovers. I don't measure anything else. When everything has been added, pour about 1 cup of water around the edge of the crockpot!! This keeps the noodles from sticking, burning to the edge, and getting too dry. I didn't do this the first time and some of the top noodles didn't get cooked. Cook on high for 4 hours. I've never done it on low, but I imagine it could be done on low for 8 hrs. Serve!

Chili Verde

1 8-oz package dry pinto beans
1 lb boneles, skinless chicken breast, cooked and diced
1 4-oz can chopped green chilies (I left these out)
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cups water
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup grated low-fat Montery Jack cheese (I used mozzarella)
1 dozen corn tortillas
1 11-1/2 oz jar salsa

Rinse pinto beans, soak in cold water overnight, then drain. In a large pot, combine beans, water bouillon cubes, garlic, salt and onion; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are soft, about 1 hour. Add more water if necessary. Add chicken and rest of spices, simmer 10 more minutes. Top with salsa and cheese. Serve over warmed tortillas.